


Gryffindor Blood

by AidanChase



Series: Harry Potter: Everyone Lives AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Baby Harry, Gen, Godric's Hollow, Halloween, almost at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-23 19:39:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1577144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AidanChase/pseuds/AidanChase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Godric’s Hollow, October 31, 1981. The fated night for the Potters.<br/><i>Peter thought he’d make a short trip to James’ and Lily’s. After all, he was the only person who knew where they were hiding (as far as they knew). They’d be alone. No Sirius to come muck everything up. Not even Remus could drop in for a visit. They’d be ever so happy to see little old Peter. Lily would probably make him tea and cakes, and then he’d be on his way with neither of them the wiser.</i><br/><i>Oh, he’d finally have gotten his laugh. After all those years.</i><br/>A prequel to the Everyone Lives series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gryffindor Blood

**Author's Note:**

> I spent hours dreaming up scenarios where it would be possible for the prophecy to be fulfilled but let James and Lily live. This is what I managed. It deviates from canon a bit in that the books describe James and Lily living at Godric’s Hollow, but I always figured once they were married they would have lived at James’ estate, and anyway they were on the run/in hiding for a year and a half before Peter became their Secret Keeper. So I wrote this assuming they had recently moved into this new place under the Fidelius charm. And of course, the ending deviates from canon. Because the canon version is too heartbreaking for me to handle.

Peter Pettigrew had never quite measured up, and oh did he know it. It didn’t help that Sirius seemed to be constantly rubbing it in his face that he was the least useful and least impressive of the Marauders, as they called themselves. And was that hardly his fault? He couldn’t have the confidence of Sirius or James. He just couldn’t. But then again, neither did Remus, and everyone seemed to appreciate him just fine.

That was all well and good when they were kids, but they were adults now. Graduated wizards in the real world. And Peter had finally put one over on them.

Peter thought he’d make a short trip to James’ and Lily’s. After all, he was the only person who knew where they were hiding (as far as they knew). They’d be alone. No Sirius to come muck everything up. Not even Remus could drop in for a visit. They’d be ever so happy to see little old Peter. Lily would probably make him tea and cakes, and then he’d be on his way with neither of them the wiser.

Oh, he’d finally have gotten his laugh. After all those years.

It wasn’t so much resentment that drove Peter to betray his friends. Maybe he was a little bitter, but more than anything it was envy. James and Sirius pulled all the best jokes in school—some of them on him, but he had laughed because they had laughed—and now it was his turn. He’d fooled them all and no one even suspected. Because who would suspect bumbling, foolish little Peter? They were ready to doubt Remus before they doubted Peter. What an impressive turn of events, he thought gleefully.

Peter arrived at the Potters’ new, secret residence. Lily was surprised to see him so unexpectedly, but opened the door for him, and he walked in.

"I was just getting tea on," she said brightly. "I’ll make you a cup. I’m sure I have some cakes somewhere I can scrounge up for us—everything’s a bit of a mess at this place right now. I’m so sorry. We’re only just moved in and we’re both still hoping it’s only temporary. How are you? James is in the baby’s room playing with Harry. Go on. You can come down when I’ve got everything ready. Oh, it’s that one there, on the left. I know, everything’s so turned around from Styncon. James doesn’t like the tiny space much at all."

Peter found James and Harry easily. After all, this secret hiding house of theirs in Godric’s Hollow really was tiny. Lily had picked it out, much to James’ chagrin. Though he hadn’t been expecting something as large as the home he’d grown up in, he certainly wasn’t used to something so modest.

"Hullo, Peter," James smiled as he walked in. "Didn’t expect to see you. Didn’t expect to see anyone, actually, but I suppose if I were to expect someone, it would have to be you."

Poor James, Peter thought with bitter pleasure. Poor James, who was so used to being the center of attention, with his big house and fabulous wealth, and excessive number of friends. Poor James who had to live in a tiny cramped apartment in Godric’s Hollow, on the run, unable to see his friends, hiding from a madman. An inspirationally terrifying madman.

But as Peter stepped into the baby’s room and carefully moved a half-unpacked box aside so he could take a seat on the floor with James, he thought James didn’t look very unhappy. James looked like he had everything in the world, and Peter being there had just been the stars on top.

"Lily made me leave Harry’s broom," James sighed, but still with that content smile on his face, as he let the small baby grab at his fingers and try to pull himself up to his feet. "And mine. This Voldemort business better get sorted quick or I’ll whither away stuck to the ground," he laughed.

Peter watched the small child curiously. It didn’t look like either James or Lily, as far as he could tell. Babies were big fat squishy things, and hardly looked human, much less anything like their parents. But those were definitely Lily’s eyes. They’d been lighter when the baby was first born, but they’d darkened into her vibrant green these last few months, and Sirius insisted that it was a Potter nose between those fat round cheeks, but Peter didn’t see it.

James dug into one of the boxes and pulled out a small toy snitch. It didn’t zip around like a normal snitch, but rather hovered, and never moved very far.

"Lily seems to think I’m pushing him into Quidditch. I just think he’s a natural," James grinned as Harry grabbed for the small golden ball.

The tiny, pudgy baby fingers missed the ball and it floated over the baby’s head instead. Peter couldn’t understand why such a small thing was so great a threat to the Dark Lord. It was so ridiculously helpless. How could something like that challenge someone as powerful as Lord Voldemort?

Peter had no remorse for what he’d done (or what was about to happen). It was just a pathetic baby. Who cared? Maybe James and Lily, but they wouldn’t survive the night either. Peter finally had one-upped James. Finally.

Maybe Sirius would care.

He looked down at his own hands, not quite like a baby, but still rather pudgy himself, and thought he’d just have to do something about that when it came down to it.

And Remus? Well, half the Order didn’t trust Remus anymore. Peter had seen to that.

"I am real glad you came, mate," James said with a grin and scooped Harry up into his arms. "I was afraid it would get pretty lonely here, since we can’t tell anyone where we are."

"It’s very dangerous for you right now," Peter said gravely. There was certainly no lie in that.

"I know, I know. And I don’t mind being with Harry and Lily. I really don’t. I just—Well, Sirius probably knows best." And all that cheer and contentment he’d exuded since the moment Peter walked in seemed to fall under a temporary cloud cover. "Hey, Wormtail," he started, his voice distant and thoughtful, and seeing how he’d slipped into their nicknames—a habit James had tried kicking since marrying Lily—he was probably lost in reminiscing about their time at school, "y’think—You think Moony’s alright, don’t you? I mean, he’s definitely with The Order. He wouldn’t—There’s no way he’d buy into Greyback, right? We know him. And that’s not like him at all. It’s Moony and he’s not—he wouldn’t, right?"

Peter thought now would be the perfect time to finally convince James there was truth the the rumors he’d started about Remus betraying the Order. A few members had gotten suspicious enough that they began withholding information from Remus. Even Sirius had resorted to suggesting Peter as the Potters’ Secret Keeper instead of Remus. But James had never been convinced. He’d remained steadfast to Remus and Peter hadn’t figured out yet how to shake that confidence. Maybe Sirius had already done it for him.

"We’ve known Remus for eight years," James started again. "We let him sit Harry for us. He’s not a Death Eater, or whatever they’re calling themselves." James peered at Peter through his glasses, his face both puzzled and concerned. "I don’t know why Sirius thinks that. He knows the whole pureblood regime they’re spouting excludes any sort of half-breeds like werewolves—not that I would ever say Remus is a half-breed of any sort. But Remus wouldn’t go in for that. He’d know better."

Oh, of course. James wasn’t doubting Remus at all. He was trying to convince Peter not to doubt Remus. How like James. Trusting everyone without actually bothering to look at them. Just like he’d trusted Sirius, even though Sirius was a Black. And he’d trusted Remus, despite Remus being a monster once a month. And now he’d trusted Peter, and for what?

"Maybe—Maybe next time you come by, bring Remus? I know half the Order thinks he’s a spy for us, but you know that’s not true. He’s our friend. And I’m sure he’d love to see Harry. He hasn’t been able to much with everything that’s been happening." James pushed his bangs back, out of his face, with that habit that was on one hand cocky and on the other anxious.

Peter was spared an answer as Harry began fussing in his father’s arms, and James got up to walk him around the room and gently bounce him.

"I feel so awful," James sighed, then let out a small laugh. "Sorry, mate. Normally I talk to Remus about these things, especially when I get frustrated with Sirius. I tried talking it over with Lily, but she doesn’t get it. She thinks it’s just Sirius being cautious, but I don’t think that’s fair to Remus. I don’t want him thinking I doubt him. I don’t. You know that, right? You know that the four of us are all friends to the end, and if it was reversed, and your baby was in danger, I’d fight for you."

The first niggling of guilt Peter had ever felt wormed its way into his chest. James would defend him? Well, of course James would. James would defend anyone. But Sirius wouldn’t. Maybe if James convinced him. They weren’t all friends, no matter what James thought of it. Spouting that nonsense like a bloody Hufflepuff.

Sirius had never treated Peter like one of the group. He made Peter the butt of half their jokes and constantly mocked his shortcomings. And Peter couldn’t understand how they all trusted Remus. Sure, Remus was a friend, but Remus was also a monster. And even if Peter didn’t believe all of the Death Eater philosophies he’d been soaking up these last few months, he was at least beginning to believe the ones about werewolves. He’d seen the monster Remus turned into on the night of a full moon. Maybe Sirius and James thought it was good fun, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided they were foolish children. And he’d seen the monster Greyback was nearly all the time, not just the night of the moon. And if that was what Remus had in his future, Peter wanted nothing to do with it.

So when Peter had made his decision to side with The Dark Lord, to spy for the Order, he had no real interest in protecting the people he had once called his friends. And when Sirius had come to him and said, “James, Lily, and Harry are in danger; you be their Secret Keeper,” he could have shouted for joy. What better way to finally prove himself to Lord Voldemort than to turn on James?

"James-dear," Lily’s voice called from downstairs. "Can you lend me a hand?"

"Coming!" Before Peter knew what was happening, James had thrust Harry into his arms. "I love when she calls me dear," he laughed, then disappeared down the stairs.

Without his father, the baby began to fuss again. Peter tried pacing like James had been doing, but it wasn’t much help. He tried bouncing the baby gently, but he was unaccustomed to the motion and it did worse than it helped.

Before long, Harry was full-crying and Peter had no idea what to do.

He was saved by Lily who came swooping in and resumed that same gentle bouncing motion that James had been doing earlier, like it was some innate trick all parents had.

She smiled that same bright smile at Peter as Harry calmed down in his mother’s arms. “Tea is ready. Shall we?”

Lily took Harry downstairs into the kitchen and Peter followed. The small apartment didn’t have a separate kitchen and dining area. It was all one small room attached to an entryway-living room, and upstairs were two bedrooms and a hall closet. For Peter, it seemed like a reasonable one-person apartment. For a family of three it sounded tight, but livable. But for someone who had grown up with James’ wealth, it sounded utterly miserable.

James was grinning ear-to-ear, however, as he set a plate of scones, a plate of sandwiches, and a plate of tea cakes down on the table. “Hope you’re hungry, mate.”

"I did get a little carried away," she laughed as she sat down, continuing to bounce Harry gently on her knee. "There just isn’t much to do here besides cook and bake."

"If she keeps on like this, I’ll snap my broom by the time we get home," James said before biting into a small sandwich.

Peter helped himself to the food and ignored the tiny thought—torn between mocking and guilt—that said James would never ride a broom again.

"You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you?" Lily asked eagerly. "It’s Hallowe’en, and I know we can’t exactly do a feast in a small place like this, but it would be fun to at least have company."

"Please say you will!" James said, almost too quickly. It was obvious even to Peter how lonely they had been this last week, with no one for company. And the last year on the run must not have been easy either.

But Peter hesitated. He knew the Dark Lord was planning the strike on the Potters tonight. How late was too late?

"I’ll break out my wizard chess set. You can play with Lily’s pieces. They’re more regal than mine," James laughed.

"It won’t be a burden. You can even help with the meal, if you’d really like to," Lily suggested.

They couldn’t have any inkling of why he was hesitating. Surely staying for dinner couldn’t hurt anything.

"Okay," he agreed around the scone still half-chewed in his cheeks. "Thanks," he said and swallowed.

Tea was a quiet affair. James and Lily pestered Peter for news of their friends and the Order, and how the tide of the war was turning. Peter was cautious with his answers, but still retained enough confidence in the fact that he was finally the clever one so that he didn’t seem cagey or reluctant. He told them Sirius had gotten into another scrape with Bellatrix, and mentioned offhandedly that he wasn’t sure what Remus was up to, that no one had seen him for a couple days.

"Wonder if he hurt himself," James said and repeated his habitual motion of pushing his bangs up.

"Stop; you’ll bald before your thirty," Lily laughed and lightly slapped his hand. "I’m sure Remus is fine. He has times he likes to be alone."

"But it’d be alright if he came some time next week, wouldn’t it? I know Sirius is worried Voldemort would suspect him to know where we are, but what about Remus? Surely with their horrid beliefs, they’d overlook Remus."

Lily gave James a patient but thin smile. “I know you miss them, but this is about Harry, not you.” The words were practiced, like she’d said them a dozen times before. They also sounded heavy, like they weren’t only directed at James but maybe a little bit to herself.

"But it’s the Fidelius charm," he tried again. "There’s no way Voldemort could find us. Dumbledore even said so. Just Peter knows, and whoever Peter tells. So if Peter tells Remus, that’d be alright, wouldn’t it?"

Peter felt a brief pain in his stomach. Must’ve been some bad scones. Lily was a wonderful witch, but she really wasn’t the best cook.

"Let’s give it some time. The war may end soon and then everything will be alright."

James did not look convinced and glanced at Peter. “What do you think? Will the Order be able to round up all the Death Eaters soon?”

A marital argument was the last thing Peter wanted to get into. “I think the war can’t go on much longer,” he answered, with a touch of amusement at the truth he believed in it. He glanced at baby Harry, the child that had cost the Dark Lord many sleepless nights. He still didn’t understand.

"We can survive a little longer without company. Besides, Peter can visit when he’s not too busy," Lily said with a finality to her voice. But one glance at James’ face told Peter that they would be having this discussion again in the near future.

After tea, Lily set up the wizard chess set in the living room while James fed Harry bites of scones and sandwiches.

"Can he eat that?" Peter asked with a frown--then regretted the question because why did he care?

"Sure," James said with a small smile. "He’s fifteen months now. Got teeth and everything. Though not very many," he laughed. He helped Harry steady a small cup of milk. "He got his first word out a few months ago. ‘Ma’ of course," James sighed. "Lily always one-ups me. But he knows ‘da’ now, and Sirius is convinced the last time he visited, Harry said, ‘Uncle Padfoot,’ but that sounds like a stretch."

James put the cup down and looked down at Harry. His voice changed-went up a few octaves and was much softer. “Harry, can you say ‘Peter’? Pe-ter,” he repeated in that same voice. Harry, however, seemed much more interested in the table than in anything his dad was trying to teach him. He groped with his chubby baby hands for the silver tea spoon. His grip, however, hadn’t fully developed, and he had trouble wrapping his hand around it. James gave him the spoon and tried again. “Peter, Harry, can you say Peter?”

Harry sucked on the spoon and looked at his dad with his big green eyes and wispy baby hair.

"Pe-ter," James tried again. Peter didn’t know how anyone could have such patience.

And especially now that Harry had the spoon, he didn’t seem interested in anything except sucking on it.

"Sorry, mate," James grinned, looking at Peter and returning to his regular voice. "We’ll get him to say it after dinner; how’s that?"

"It’s fine," and that wasn’t a lie either.

The three of them moved into the living room for wizard chess. Peter played one round with James, then one with Lily, and was trounced each time. He tried not to let his frustration show out of fear he would accidentally out himself, and let James and Lily play each other for a few games. They asked him a few times to trade out partners, but he politely refused, and instead held Harry for them. He tried that bouncing motion again, this time sitting and bouncing Harry gently on his knee. He had a vague memory of someone doing this for him when he was a child. Surely it hadn’t been so jerky.

But he seemed to get the hang of it eventually. At least Harry wasn’t fussing. It helped that he was also fascinated by the pieces on the board.

James and Lily’s fourth game was interrupted when the cat pounced on the board, sent the pieces scattering, then dove off the table to Peter’s feet, where she batted at his shoes. Lily shooed the cat away, and she disappeared under the staircase.

James laughed loudly at the whole thing—“She knows your secret, Wormy,”—and began to clear the chess board. He winked at Peter, whose stomach somersaulted. And Lily cast a questioning look at both of them, but said nothing.

Lily knew about Remus. She’d been a kind and generous as the rest of them had been. But they hadn’t told her about being Animagi yet. James and Sirius were both convinced that Lily would make them register with the Ministry, and at this point, in the middle of the war, it sounded like a bad idea.

Lily hummed quietly as she paced the room with Harry in her arms, and when he was asleep, she took him upstairs as carefully as she could for his afternoon nap.

After that, the adults prepared dinner. James stole away every few minutes to check on Harry.

"We tried baby monitors," Lily sighed, "but with all the magic, especially at the estate, they never worked properly. We meant to have Sirius help us modify one, but we never had the opportunity."

Peter had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but continued to stir the simmering sauce without question.

Dinner was a little more excitable than tea had been. Whether it was the nature of the meal or the lack of a baby, James and Lily were both freer in their laughs, though Peter noticed both of them constantly glancing up at the ceiling, presumably to where Harry was sleeping.

"Suppose we won’t have trick-or-treaters this year," James sighed.

"I could trick-or-treat for you," Peter said with an impish grin.

"We wouldn’t have any candy for you," Lily laughed.

"I’ll bring some next time," Peter quickly answered, unsure what he meant by that. Because the way it rolled off his tongue didn’t feel like a lie. In his stomach, he felt like he meant it.

He couldn’t dwell on the feeling for very long, however, because Harry began to cry. James was on his feet immediately, but Lily put a hand on his arm. “I’ve got it. You clean up the table. Save some bits for Harry.”

Lily went upstairs and James broke off tiny bits of roasted chicken and some vegetables for the baby. He set them aside on a plate and began to clear away the other food and dishes.

"You and Lily seem very happy," Peter said as he finished what was left of the potatoes. It wasn’t a particularly clever observation, and he wasn’t entirely sure what prompted it. But he’d expected Lily and James to be so weary and irritable, and they weren’t. Everything was upside-down from what he thought he would find.

"Do we? I guess we are. Being on the run for a year and a half isn’t easy, but we have each other. And you," he grinned and adjusted his glasses.

Lily came back with Harry in her arms and fed him while James finished the dishes. Peter dried them and put them away, wondering if a bit of china mattered in the long run.

They moved into the living room again, where James took Harry from Lily and distracted him with brightly colored puffs of smoke from the end of his wand. For every new puff, Harry giggled and tried to grab at them, and James’ smile grew wider and wider.

Peter thought again that he should leave. Voldemort could arrive at any minute. This was not a place he wanted to be when that happened.

He was just beginning to formulate an excuse to leave when Lily asked, “Should I put on some tea? We might have dessert somewhere.”

Well he certainly couldn’t leave before dessert.

Lily brought out shortcake, “A gift from the Longbottoms just before we went into hiding. Haven’t had an occasion for it yet, but tonight seems like a good one,” and topped it with fresh strawberries.

James fed a piece of a strawberry to Harry, who seemed to like it. Peter watched the way the boy’s face twisted around the sweet-yet-tart fruit before finally settling on approval and clapping his hands together for more.

James levitated strawberry pieces with his wand and led them easily into Harry’s waiting open mouth. Harry reached out for his father’s wand and made a soft begging noise.

"Oh, no," James laughed. "You’ll get your own when you’re eleven."

Peter suddenly felt ill and set the cake down. “I should be going,” he said quietly.

"Must you?" James looked up, awfully disappointed behind his spectacles.

"You’re welcome to stay as late as you like," Lily offered.

"Not like you to leave a dessert unfinished. Everything alright?"

"Fine, fine." Peter wrung his hands and got to his feet.

James set his wand down on the table and picked Harry up. “Let me get him to bed, and we can have a proper visit, distractions-free.”

Peter shifted his weight between his feet. “I should be going. Just—I’ll wait until you get him to bed.”

James nodded, understanding, but his face was the most disappointed face Peter had seen on him all day as he took the baby upstairs to bed.

"Please stay," Lily implored. "James won’t admit to me how lonely he is, but he really misses you all terribly. I’m sure I’m being over cautious, not letting you even bring Remus or Sirius into the secret, but it is for Harry’s sake. And you’re all we have, Peter. It would mean a lot if you stayed, just for a little bit longer."

How anyone could say no to Lily Evans—er, Lily Potter—was a downright miracle. And Peter was not that skilled a magician. He sat back down, fidgeting with his hands again.

"I suppose another hour wouldn’t hurt," he said meekly.

But it really didn’t matter. There was a crash from the kitchen. James’ loud feet clattered down the stairs and Lily’s light steps went straight back up. They met briefly in the middle, enough for Lily to say she was fine and James to tell her the baby was fine, before splitting for Lily to get to Harry and James to investigate what happened.

Peter’s heart hammered in his chest. He could still make an escape out the front door. He could still run.

He saw James’ wand lying on the table and his heart sank. His friend was defenseless, as defenseless as a baby. He’d known that Lily and James would die tonight. He’d known that Harry would die with them. And he had been so prepared, so prepared to let it happen. Prepared to let Remus take the fall for everything he’d done up until now. Prepared to let Sirius take the fall for what was about to happen. Prepared to join whichever side won-out in the end.

But in the brief second he saw James in the kitchen, wandless, ready to defend his family anyway, and Lily, who had rushed to protect her only child without knowing what was coming, and the two of them pausing on the stairs with such love and trust in their eyes—the Gryffindor blood in Peter won out and he burst into the kitchen, placing himself between James and the madman at the back door.

"Peter, don’t—" James tried, but the madman standing in the kitchen overran him.

"Pettigrew," it was said with a sneer, "What are you doing here?"

"You can’t—" Peter fumbled for words. He was no real hero with a rousing speech or cry to courage, but he felt somewhere in his heart that what he was doing was right. And that feeling bolstered him, made him feel like he was more than flesh and bones. "I won’t let you. He’s just a baby."

"Now?" he shrieked. "You choose now to defy me?"

"Y-yes," Peter faltered. He felt James’ hand on his shoulder. Briefly he wondered why. Surely James must’ve figured out that he was the reason all of this was happening.

"I have no desire to spill unnecessary magical blood. Stand aside," he hissed.

"No," Peter said, much more firmly. "If you want to kill the baby, or hurt James and Lily, you’ll have to kill me first." He couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth, but he found that he did believe them. He probably believed them more than anything he’d believed in his whole life.

He saw the snarl curl back on the man’s face, knew from the way he raised the wand over his head what was coming. He had a split second to make his move and he chose, instead of taking the time to run, to shove James aside and take the killing curse himself.

——

When James would tell the story years later, he was always careful about how he cast Peter. He tried to say that Peter was a faithful friend. Because it was true. Peter was faithful in the end. Sirius had a few more choice words about what he thought Peter was like, and even Lily had a few of her own. But Remus understood what James meant when he said, “Everyone makes mistakes along the way, but he came through where it counted. He was one of us to the very end.”

There wasn’t much more James could add to the story, other than to say Voldemort probably only used a Stunning spell on himself in place of the Killing Curse in an effort to preserve magical blood--whatever that meant. Lily would scold him for forgetting his wand, and Sirius commended his exceptional bravery for challenging Voldemort unarmed. Lily was not afforded a Stunning Charm, but she managed to throw a _Reducto_ at Voldemort as he walked into the room. The explosive nature of the spell knocked her and Voldemort apart, but Voldemort still cast his curse on his intended target. And it rebounded. Lily threw a Protective Charm at Harry to protect him from the worst of the blast, and took a nasty blow to the head from a piece of ceiling.

James woke up in a pile of rubble that used to be their home in Godric’s Hollow. That part didn’t concern him. He’d rather hated the place. He found Lily alive, though injured, and Harry in the middle of the destruction, completely unharmed, save for a fresh wound in his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. Thanks to the sacrifice of Peter Pettigrew, their son was a miracle: the boy who lived.


End file.
